autocross question..harnesses
 

ok..so im thinking about trying to auto cross..its something ive been debating bout and i think im going to try it..i have a 88 vert..im goin to be putting a racing seat and 4 point harnesses..well i have a vert so they r heavy enough so i do not want a roll cage or anything else to add more weight so i was thinking of a harness bar to add stiffness and to mount my harness.. take a look..http://www.ioportracing.com/Merchant...oduct_Code=GB3

jw if any one has used this harness bar or anything..opinions would be appreciated.thanks

If you plan on running with the SCCA you need to read this rule:

3.3.1 Driver Restraints
Seat lap belts are required in all cars, and must be installed in cars
with passive restraint systems that do not include a lap belt. Installation
and the use of shoulder belts or harnesses is strongly recommended,
however non-factory upper body restraints may only be
used in open cars, cars with targa-tops in the open position, or cars
with T-tops in the open position when two conditions are met:

a. The roll structure must meet either the requirements of Appendix C or Section 9.4 of the GCR.
b. The top of the roll structure may not be below the top of the driver’s helmet when the driver is in the normal driving position.

ok,,,has any one used this harness bar then..or have any info or whatnot?

The point of that post was that if you show up to autocross and the techs know the rules, they won't allow you to run harnesses without a roll bar. That's because in a rollover you can't slide to the side to get out of the way of the ground and will be crushed and killed.

No harness bars exist for the FC, you'd have to fab it up yourself.

Get at least a 5 point harness. 4 points are about the most dangerous harness there is. In an accident the shoulder straps pull up on the lap belt, pulling it into your gut, which can cause soft tissue injuries and death. The crotch strap isn't really for submarining, it's more to keep this from happening.

oo i see ....well keep the good old stock seat belt then..i should have done more research..thanks for the tech info i greatly appreciate it

A sticky from the Miata.net racing forum with lots of safety system info:

http://forum.miata.net/vb/showthread.php?t=126802

Lots to mull over.

There's an exception to this, Schroth 4 pt ASM harness

http://www.schrothracing.com/product...m/profi-II-asm

Well, it's better than the average 4 point, but it'll never be as good as a 5 point.

Shouldn't we be simply saying "Tie down your battery, and run it STOCK!"

I've come across quite a few people who think they need to do all kinds of stuff to their car prior to autocrossing it. Stock is the way to go until you KNOW THE RULES.

Stock seats, seat belts, engine, tranny, suspension, tires, diff, brakes, peeling paint, etc... will run you just fine the first several autocrosses. Fix the broken stuff. Done.

^Thats a good idea. Some people don't understand that suspension tuning comes after you've mastered driving itself. If you make suspension adjustments to try and fix handling problems with the car (or even try to make it faster) when the problems really in your driving technique you will go nowhere. Read the book titled "How to Make Your Car Handle" by Fred Puhn (sp?) and you will learn a LOT. Don't be discouraged by how old the book is, all the info still applies to modern suspension systems.

The addition of the harnesses (keep the stock belts installed) is still a good idea.
It's hard to stay in place in and FD under hard cornering, especially if the seats are leather.

The harnesses make it easier to drive as the steering wheel is no longer used a brace to keep you in place.